NIV: Non-Inspired Version

  I know alot of people that use the New International Version of the Bible, and they are really good people that just don't know any better. I'm not saying that everyone that uses the NIV is a good person by any stretch, but if they have a true heart for the Lord and are using an NIV, there's a good chance that they don't really know much about this version.

   The NIV is one of the most popular Bible translations on the market. It is also one the most blatantly corruputed translations ever written.

  My primary grievance with the NIV is the extensive list of omissions within it's text. The NIV claims itself to be "the most exact, illuminating rendering of the original languages in to English. . . so faithfully accurate, that it ushers in a new era of Scriptural clarity for Christians around the world" (Zondervan Publishing House, 1978). Let us open the pages of the NIV for ourselves and see if this statement is true.

  I will list only a few of the many omissions in the NIV as compared to the KJV. The verses I will list are key doctrinal verses that are foundations of Christianity.

 (1. NIV distorts Christ's Work of Redemption

(a) Luke 9:56
KJV:     "For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them"
NIV:     [This portion of the verse is omitted]

(b) Removal of the Blood of Christ in Colossians 1:14
KJV:     "In whom we have redemption through his blood"
NIV:     "In whom we have redemption"

(2. NIV undermines the way of Salvation
(a) Acts 8:37
KJV:     "And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."
NIV:     [The entire verse is omitted]

Note: By omitting verse 37 the NIV implies that salvation can be obtained through water baptism.

(b) Matthew 18:11
KJV:     "For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost."
NIV:     [The entire verse is omitted]

(3. NIV takes away from the seriousness of Hell
(a) Mark 9:44,46
KJV:     44 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
             46 "Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."
NIV:     [Both verses are omitted entirely]

(4. NIV undermines the Virgin Birth of Christ.
(a) Luke 2:33
KJV:     "And Joseph and his mother marvelled"
NIV:     "The child's father and mother marvelled"

 Note: The NIV translators undermined our Lord's Virgin Birth by making Joseph His father, which is a lie.

(5. NIV omits Christ's Bodily Ascension to Heaven
John 16:16
KJV:     "A little while, and ye shall not see me because I go to the Father."
NIV:     "In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a while you will see me."
Note: This omission has no manscript evidence to support it. Not even from the corrupt Wescott and Hort text.

(6. NIV omits the return of Jesus Christ
(a) Matthew 25:13
KJV:     "Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."
NIV:     "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour."

(b) Revelation 11:17
KJV:     "O Lord God almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come."
NIV:     "Lord God almighty, the One who is and who was."

(7. The NIV turns Jesus into Satan
 This sounds very extreme, however, it is nothing less than truth. The Lord Jesus Christ is given many names throughout the Scriptures (Emmanuel, Saviour, etc.), and among those revered names we find Him referred to as the "Morning Star". This name is given to Jesus in Revelation 22:16.

"I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" (KJV)

What a wonderful name to be ascribed to our Lord. The NIV commits severe blasphemy when it gives Satan the name that was given to Jesus. This takes place in Isaiah 14:12. I will list the King James reading and the NIV reading.

KJV:   "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! . . ."
NIV:    "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! . . ."

As clear as day, the NIV gives Lucifer the same name that was given to the precious Son of God. What blasphemy!

(8. The NIV Takes Away the Preservation of God's words.
Psalm 12:6-7
KJV: "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." (Emphasis mine)

NIV: "And the words of the LORD are flawless: like silver purified in a furnace of clay seven times. O LORD you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever."   (Emphasis mine)

What is the word "them" in the KJV text referring to in these verses? God's words. "Thou shalt keep them (His words) ... thou shalt preserve them (His words). " The King James Version is telling us that God is promising to keep and preserve His words. The NIV completely butchers this truth and changes the context of both verses.

NIV's Pro-Homosexual Bias (Taken from Pastor S.H. Tow, D.D, M.D. of Singapore)

 "Among the NIV translation committee was a self-confessed lesbian and a pro-gay member, who do not believe that homosexuality is a sin to be condemned, but rather a loving relationship acceptable to God. 
 In five Old Testament passages the words "sodomite" or "sodomites" are replaced by "shrine prostitute" or "male shrine prostitutes" (See Deuteronomy 23:17; I Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46; 2 Kings 23:7)
 The NIV's wresting of Scripture (2 Peter 3:16) justifies homosexuals in their abominable practices and makes the version gay-friendly and acceptable to the gay community."

These were just a few examples of omitted verses in the New International Version. In total there are over 64,000 words and over 40 verses (whether in the text or footnotes) that are missing from the NIV.

Easier to Understand?

  A popular advertising tool for the NIV (and any other modern version) is that it is "easier to understand", and that it takes out the "thee's and thou's" that are found in the King James Version. This argument is far from the truth. At some points the NIV may seem easier to read, but it is most certainly not easier to understand. Let's look at a few examples:

(a) Genesis 6:4
KJV:     "There were giants in the earth..."
NIV:     "The Nephilim were on the earth..."
The NIV didn't even bother to translate "giants" and just left the Hebrew word. Which is easier to understand?

(b) Ephesians 4:16
KJV:     "joint"
NIV:     "supporting ligament"

(c) Exodus 32:6
KJV:     "rose up to play"
NIV:     "indulge in revelry"

(d) Leviticus 14:2, 57
KJV:     "law of leprosy"
NIV:     "regulations for infectious skin diseases and mildew" 

A few more examples include:

 There are many more verses where the NIV uses a more difficult word with a larger syllable count than the King James.

 Article by: Mason Burchette